I cannot help but issue a warning: The modern USB Competition Pro Joysticks from Speedlink have a lot of lag, which makes them basically unusable for any serious gaming. The Classic 9-pin Joysticks from Speedlink are ok, but require a 9-pin to USB adapter.

I use mostly two solutions for retrogaming:
1. USB Atari Retroport from retrousb.com with 9-pin Competition Pro joysticks. I have a few old ones from ebay and a few of the 9-pin "classic" models from Speedlink.

Take recommendations with a grain of salt. People will tend to suggest what they personally like, which obviously varies person to person.
For the most part they'll all work well so it just comes down to what you enjoy.
In my opinion you're better off asking for things to avoid, and then just go for what you find comfortable.

There is nothing wrong with to recommend some 9-pin Joystick to USB adapter. This is probably the best way to get the authentic feeling from the 80s/90s. Buy a stick/pad you remember fondly from that time and have fun.